Refrigerating apparatus



Get. 27, 1931. .1v c. ARNOLD REFRIGERATING APPARATUS Filed Nov. 30, 1927 Patented 27, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE JAMES C. OLD, L08 ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MEENE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 FRIGIIDAIBE GOBPOBATION, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE- RIPJFIEtIGERA'I'ING APPARATUS Application filed November 30, 1927. Serial No. 236,731.

This invention relates to a refrigeratorin which the relative refrigerating surface of the cooling unit may be selectively varied. This invention relates also to. a refrigerating unit in which fins are provided on the cooling conduits, and whichfins may be readily attached or detached from the conduits. It is sometimes desirable to make installations with fins on the cooling conduits in order to increase the refrigerating surface, and at other times it is desirable to make installations without such fins, audit is sometimes desirable to vary the refrigerating surface after installation. Heretofore, in the case of permanently attached fins, it had been necessary for a dealer of these products to have on hand a great many types of unlts, thus requiring a much larger outlay of'capital than is necessary with my invention.

An object of this invention is to rovlde a refrigerator in which the refrigerating surface may be varied selectively.

Another object of this invention is to provide a refrigerating unit which may be provided either with or without the fins.

Another object is to provide a refrigerating unit of such character that the required stock on hand of a dealer may be materially reduced, by obviating the necessity for stocking apparatus with conduits having permanently attached fins.

. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to 35 the accompanying drawings, wherein preferred forms of the present invention are clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a device embodying an element of my invention, being a cooling element without fins;

Fig. 2 isian end view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side View of the device shown in Fig. 1, provided with fins;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the device shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view along the line 55 in Fig. 3;

cooling element to different 6 is a side view of a fin shown in Fig. 7 is a modified embodiment somewhat analogous to Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is a cross section of another embodiment hereinafter more fully to be described.

y device comprises a refrigerating unit whlch, by way of example, is shown on the drawings, wherein 21 is, in this particular embodiment, a header provided with a float valve (not shown) controlling the entrance of liquid refrigerant at 22 and is provided with an outlet pipe 23 for evaporated refrigerant. The liquid refrigerant flows into ducts, looped conduits or refrigerant loops 24 from the header 21 and cools the compartment of the refrigerator by the boiling of refrigerant in said ducts 24;. enever it is desirable to chan e the installation by adding fins, fins 25 may e placed over the ducts 24' and thus the contact surfacemay be materially increased. As an embodiment of the invention, these fins may beconstructed of two sheet metal members 26 and 27 placed side by side and secured together by any means such as by bending member 27 over member 26 as indicated at 28. These members may be spread apart in the central portion 29 to receive the ducts 24. It will thus be seen that the cooling surface of ducts 24 may thus be materially increased. Whenever desired, one or more of the fins 25 may be added or removed from the installation, thus the relative size of the refrigerating surface may be varied selectively.

This invention may also be of particular use where the installation may necessitate fins of different sizes. It is apparentthat the same duct may receive fins of many different dimensions or shapes, to adapt the installations. This is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 3 by means of the dotted line 30, which outlines a fin of different size or shape.

Another embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 7 wherein 21 is the header and 24' is one of the ducts of the installation. The fin 25 in this case is placed on the duct 24: from the bottom instead of from the side as in the previous embodiment. In order to 2 1,sae,sao

l preveiit the fin 25 from slipping ofi the duct 24' a bolt 31 may be passed t ru the fin inside of duct 24 just above the lower portion of the coil, thus securing the fin 25' on duct 24. 5 Another embodiment of the invention may be constructed in accordance with Fig. 8 wherein 24" corresponds to a duct such as 24 and 24'. In this case the fin 25" is formed of a single pieceof sheet metal bent to fit 10 around the duct 24" and the.overlapping edges are secured together by any suitable means, for example in the same manner 'as in Fig. 5, by bending over the edge at 28.

, The fins may be applied in inherently nonrotational engagement with the ducts. This may be accomplished by engaging the fins at more than one axis of one or more ducts. As shown in the drawings, the fins engage the ducts at two axes formed by the looped structure of the ducts and thus inherently are prevented from rotating on the ducts.

While I have shown a header in the particular embodiment described in my application, it is obvious that a header is: not a necessary element of certain refrigerating systems to which ,my invention may be applied and that in such a case the coils could be provided with fins even if they were not attached to a header. While the forms of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitute preferred forms. it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

' What is claimed is as follows:

1. A refrigerator having a header and a plurality of loops connected thereto, each of said loops having a fin thereover formed by two fiat portions placed side by side and spaced apart for the reception of said loop.

2. A refrigerating device having a looped conduit and a fin fitting on said conduit comprising two flat portions placed side to side and having a cavity therebetween for recep- 5 tion of said loopedconduit. r

3. A refrigerator having a header and a refrigerant loop, and a fin fitting over said loop, said fin having a cavity for the reception ofgsaid loop.

o 4. A refrigerating device having a looped conduit and a fin fitting on said looped conduit and provided with a cavity for the reception of said looped conduit. '1

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my sig- 5 nature.

JAMES C. ARNOLD. 

